Launched early on Tuesday, Angry Birds Rio is already the No. 1 iPhone and iPad paid game app in the U.S. and 49 foreign markets, including all major territories except Japan.
A tie-in to 20th Century Fox’s upcoming 3D toon Rio, Angry Birds Rio was the most downloaded game app in the U.K., France, Italy and Australia, among numerous other countries. It also was the biggest launch ever for Finnish company Rovio, maker of the wildly popular Angry Birds game. Angry Birds Rio also is available to Android users.
The release of Angry Birds Rio was timed to Tuesday night’s world premiere of the animated pic in Rio.
In a marketing win, Fox is the first studio to team with Rovio. Angry Birds and Rio were a natural fit, since the movie is about a domesticated Macaw named Blu who goes to Rio to mate with the last of his kind, Jewel.
Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway voice the lead roles in Rio, which opens in theaters on April 15. Both were in Rio for the world premiere, along with Jamie Foxx, who voices one of the roles.
Angry Bird Rio pairs the gameplay of the original game with unique twists based on the film. In Angry Birds Rio, animal smugglers have kidnapped the Angry Birds and taken them to Rio, where they escape their captors and set out to save their friends, Blu and Jewel.
“Angry Birds Rio is the most exciting thing to happen to Angry Birds so far,” Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said in a statement. “We are glad to bring exciting new gameplay elements and a fresh, thrilling new Angry Birds experience to all our fans worldwide.”
Angry Birds Rio features two episodes and 60 levels. Episodic updates based on the film will be provided throughout the year.
Attending the world premiere of Rio were Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairs Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman, along with Fox Animation Studios president Vanessa Morrison, Rio director Carlos Saldanha and executive music producer Sergio Mendes.
